Keep Food Safety in Mind.

• Position: GRILLING SEASON

An estimated 128,000 Americans are hospitalized with food poisoning each year, but foodborne illnesses can be prevented during summer months by handling perishables properly during travel, and by using a thermometer when grilling, recommends the Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

If you are traveling to your favorite grilling location in a local park, or simply cooking in your backyard, perishable food items, including raw meat and poultry, need to be handled safely before they hit the barbie. Bacteria grow rapidly in warm temperatures, so perishable foods need to be kept at 40[degrees]F or below. Perishables that are held above 40[degrees] for more than two hours should not be consumed. In hot weather (above 90[degrees]), food should be discarded if it sits out for more than one hour.

The best way to keep food cold when you are away from home is to use a cooler. Consider packing beverages in one cooler and perishable food in another. The...